Her version of the gospel-reggae classic Rivers Of Babylon is closer to that of The Melodians than Boney M and she does a stunning cover of Buddy Holly's That'll Be The Day. This is probably Linda Ronstadt's most accomplished and beautiful album in its refreshing variety of styles and well chosen material. All in all, this is a terrific album and one that is really a showcase for Linda at her very best. My personal favorite here is Tracey nelson's "Down So Low", and of course, "Hasten Down the Wind", a song so reminiscent of the soulful songs on previous albums like "Prisoner In Disguise" and Long, Long. She soars with an interpretation of the traditional "Rivers Of Babylon", and a lovely effort at blue-eyed soul with "Give One Heart". "Tattler" and "Try Me Again" are sizzling, as is a well-arranged version of Bonhoff's "Lose Again". Then too, Patsy Cline's "Crazy" is powerfully interpreted. The title tune, written by songwriter and performing wildman Warren Zevon, "Hasten down The Wind", is a haunting, powerfully performed song. Her fans knew what they liked, and they sure seemed to like this terrific collection of so many different genres gathered under a single tent. Well, so much for them pesky critic fellas! From a raucous hit song like Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day" to a sweet and soulful interpretation of Karla Bonhoff's plaintive "Someone To Lay Down Beside Me", Linda pulls out all of the stops, and although the album was panned critically, it was also her first album to go platinum. She shows here just how versatile and eclectic her approach to some interesting material could be. Like the legendary Johnny Rivers, who always seemed to have a magical touch for turning other people's work into brilliant covers and best-selling albums, Ronstadt here does a star turn with other people's songs. This is a classic Ronstadt album, recorded when she was really in her prime, busy cranking out the volume of hits and those seemingly effortless and sometimes facile interpretations of other people's songs, showing just how original an artist she was.
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